


Barriers Inside of Me

by Rulerofyouall



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Angst, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, But I do not have DID myself, Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Damian Wayne is Robin, Depression, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Fluff and Angst, Good Grandparent Alfred Pennyworth, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Hurt Jason Todd, I AM DOING MY BEST, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Insecurity, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd Feels, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd-centric, Jason has MASSIVE INSECURITIES, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Only know others who do and done my research, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Please tell me :), Prostitution, Protective Alfred Pennyworth, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Jason Todd, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, So if there are problems, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Suicidal Thoughts, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Underage Prostitution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:13:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29992995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rulerofyouall/pseuds/Rulerofyouall
Summary: Logically, Jason knew that he had this condition, DID, his whole life. It had just gone misdiagnosed for a very, very long time, that result of his rough childhood and the barriers that he put in place before his personality had a chance to integrate. But what was he supposed to do with his diagnosis now that he had it? If it got out to anyone, who would trust Red Hood ever again?
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 15
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing! If anyone would like to offer advice on this topic, I'd be happy to hear it!

_This piece of shit thinks he can get away with that? Right in front of me?_

His boots slammed in the ground as he jumped off of the rooftop he had been spying on, landing at the front of the alley and effectively cutting off any means of escape for them. It wouldn't be hard for him to take them out--or, as Bruce would prefer, _not maim or kill them_ \--as there were only four of them: two men, two women. All of them were clearly seasoned Crime Alley criminals with their scars and hardened faces. They didn't wear masks, but still, they were prepared for the eventuality that they may be attacked. Body armor covered all of them, not as good as the expensive ones the vigilantes of Gotham preferred, but better than nothing.

Hood allowed himself a small smirk, invisible beyond his helmet, as he stalked the four of them. The sound of his boots hitting the pavement had startled them, all of them drawing their guns and pointing them at the threat: him. Drawing himself to his full intimidating height, he sauntered closer to them, not saying a single word but enjoying seeing them slowly start to tremble immensely.

"What do you want, Hood?" A particularly brave soul, one of the women, spit at his feet.

He raised an eyebrow, continuing to stare at them in silence. They know what they did. He didn't have to explain every single detail to them now, did he? Or were they that pathetically stupid? Hood shook his head and moved his hand to rest on the guns holstered to his thighs. Tapping his foot, he waited. People always started talking in an awkward silence; he just had to wait for it.

Hood, or Karim as Talia had affectionately called him, hadn't been around too long. Deep down, he knew that he had had some existence the entire time, but he didn't really become able to take over much until after the Pit. The Lazarus Pit had changed a lot for him, all of him, including making him more aware of the walls in his mind. It was clear to anyone who knew him that Jason Todd had had an incredibly rough childhood with many repeated, repulsive abuse and neglect at a critical point in the integration of a child's personality. To begin with, everyone is born unintegrated, but Jason Todd had remained as such, building barriers in his mind and isolating the different states, or alters, of his being. Karim was one of them although he went unknown and unnamed for the majority of his life.

"We weren't doing anything of your concern." The same bitch stated, putting on a mask of confidence and indifference.

Karim saw right through it. "So what I just saw was a hallucination?" He rolled his eyes. _Stupid._

"What did you see?" The man directly to the woman's right blurted out. She sent him a sharp glare, demanding his silence.

They were silent for a few moments, and Karim's eyes fell on the other woman, the silent one, whose finger was twitching on her trigger. _Not today, sunshine._ He drew both his guns simultaneously, and the fight began. At the first sign of movement, the speaker, obviously the leader, pulled her trigger, the bullet flying about four inches to the right of Karim's head. The other three weren't very good shots either, or perhaps Karim was just suddenly impervious to bullets. He'd go with the former.

As expected, it only took him four bullets until they were on the ground, one bullet per nimrod. The leader moved to pick her gun back up again, but Karim swaggered over and kicked it from her grasp, crushing her hand in the process. She gasped in pain, but he ignored it to favor removing the weapons from the other idiots as well. It hadn't been a hard fight _at all_ , quite boring really. What a shame. He liked a good fight.

Briefly, he noticed that one of the men was bleeding far too much. _Oopsie._ Karim laughed a bit; Bruce wasn't going to be happy with this one. It wasn't his job to be a healer, nor was it his job to call for paramedics. Not that they would get there in time anyway. The others probably had phones, so they could do it themselves. And if they didn't? Well, who was stupid enough to go out in this day and age without one? That's just asking for it.

So, no. Not his fault. He had better things to worry about, like the killer fucking headache raging behind his eyes. It was common for him to get those while switching, or going between his different alters. Sometimes, the switch would take mere seconds, but other times, it would be a gradual process, taking days to complete. It always gave him the worst headaches, and he assumed the others did as well. 

They didn't often remember what the other alters did while they were in control. Sure, there were sometimes flashes, but mostly, they were Karim's experiences and Karim's only. Jason wouldn't know anything about them, and neither would anyone else. It had put them in some pretty shitty situations on occasion. Not every alter was the nicest, including Karim, but there was one in particular, still unnamed, that was the worst. They weren't always that bad, but they had been in control when they were thrown in the Lazarus Pit. As of such, he received the brunt of the rage and bloodlust, and that had led to him doing some pretty extreme things over the years, such as trying to kill Tim. No one but the alter affected by the Pit would ever think of harming a child, and that was what Tim was then: a child.

Karim walked away from the bleeding figures, moving towards what had originally caught his attention. It was a small animal, a puppy, who was definitely the runt of the litter. Karim knew that it wasn't uncommon for people to 'get rid of' the weakest pup, but he had never been one to stand for such animal abuse. Back at the League, he and Damian had taken up 'rescuing' all sorts of animals that they came across, and Karim didn't think that either of them had stopped.

The tiny animal was soaking wet and shivering, tucked against the corner where the wall of the alley met a nearby dumpster. The dog, a male chocolate lab, was young enough that his eyes were still unopened, and he was definitely young enough that he should still be feeding from his mother. _Fuck._ Karim had made a habit of carrying treats around to feed to the local Crime Alley strays, but this one was simply too small for them.

First things first, though, and that meant that Karim had to warm the puppy up. He stripped himself of his outer jacket, using it to pick the soaking animal up gently. The puppy whined a bit, clearly searching for his mother, but Karim simply brought him closer to his chest. His body heat would have to be enough for now. He knew that as soon as they were out of danger, the sight of the puppy would trigger a different alter, a young child they called Jayjay, to come to the forefront of their mind. Karim didn't mind losing control, but Jayjay didn't exactly act as an adult Jason Todd would be expected to. That was a problem, specifically because no one but Talia and Damian knew of their disorder. Not even Roy, their partner and boyfriend, had any clue. 

He had always had dissociative identity disorder, but when he was younger, he hadn't picked up on it. Bruce hadn't either, so he never received his diagnosis. It wasn't until being with the League that Talia noticed the changes in his behavior and sought out a doctor, who diagnosed him after extensive questioning. Having the disorder wasn't a _bad_ thing by any stretch of the imagination, but Jason had always been insecure about his mental health. Karim wasn't about to spill the metaphorical beans and upset him. Jason was just concerned that people wouldn't trust him anymore since they didn't know every alter he had. Plus, Bruce had never exactly been accepting of their family's mental issues. The man tried, but he was always so, so lacking.

Well, now that he had a companion, a very cute one at that, Karim really should return to the safe house, but he needed to get _something_ for the most adorable sidekick in the world. He hoped that the convenience store was still open. They'd have problems if it wasn't.

Luckily, the convenience store was open, and while the owner was probably shitting their pants at having Red Hood prowling around the store, Karim knew that he'd give a little something extra on the side to make up for it. Some more cash never hurt anyone, now, did it? Especially for struggling Crime Alley businesses, and well, they had enough money to do a bit of splurging on items for the most adorable being to ever exist. Karim wasn't partial to animals or anything; they were always just so much better than people.

Whatever. His cart quickly became filled with just about every puppy related product that the poor owner, clearly concerned about their own safety, sold. Of course, he only got the good shit, the items of the best quality that this purveyor had, but his shopping was quite extensive nevertheless. He had the fluffiest bed, the healthiest bottle food, and all the toys that the store had. All of them.

It didn't take too long for Karim to get back to the safe house he and Roy were occupying at the moment, somehow carrying every single purchase he had in one arm and cradling the most precious cargo he ever had in the other. Roy hadn't gone out that night, so if he was lucky, he'd be able to get into the safe house without waking him. Jayjay was louder than the rest of them however. He always liked animals too, so Karim was indecisive. While he didn't give two fucks if Roy knew, Jason was particularly concerned about other people's reactions. After all, there was a lot of stigma against people with different disorders like the one they had, and Jason didn't want people to look at him differently. 

Karim set the bed down first, ripping the tag off and carefully setting the cold puppy down onto it. While tucked against his chest, the pup had stopped shivering, but he wasn't sure if he was really in the safe zone yet. Not sure when the animal had last had a chance to eat and knowing that the four previous owners had probably neglected him, Karim next took out one of the bottles of puppy formula that the convenience store thankfully sold.

He knew that Jayjay was practically bursting with his desire to greet the new puppy, so once all of the important responsibilities were over, he would let him in. But first, he had to make sure that this puppy ate something. Karim ignored his bouncing leg for now, knowing that it was the beginning of a gradual shift to the overexcited alter.

There were three different types of switching: consensual, forced, or triggered. Consensual switches were typically agreed upon by the alters involved, and forced ones usually occur when one of them unexpectedly retreat into the back of their mind, such as when one of them gets too nervous or embarrassed. Triggered switches are responses to stimuli, both positive and negative, that bring out another alter. Karim would remain at the front with him though rather than retreating, wanting to make sure that Jayjay didn't overexert the young pup's energy. The youngest alter could be very excitable, especially in the presence of animals.

He barely noticed Roy coming down the stares, too lost in watching the still blind puppy suck on the tip of the bottle. The red haired man had stopped about ten feet away from them, and he just stared.

"Err, Jason? Why is there a puppy here?" The older man wiped his eyes tiredly, brushing the sleep away.

And with that, Karim felt himself retreat slightly, still staying near the forefront of the mind but now no longer in control. Even though Roy came downstairs, he wouldn't intervene. No, he thought it would be interesting to see what he made of Jayjay; plus, it was certainly time that the man knew about their situation.

"Roy!" 

It seemed as though his entire body language shifted, becoming less closed off and more open to the world around him. The leg bouncing increased in tempo, and a brilliant smile made its way onto his face.

"Hey, Jaybird." The archer set himself down next to his partner. "So...puppy?"

"Yes," Jayjay grinned. "He's a puppy!"

"I can see that." Roy blinked a little, startled by the newfound energy.

He hugged the puppy against his chest, looking shiftily around the room as though someone was about to take it from him. "We keep him, right?"

"...I guess so." He nodded. "I mean, you got all this stuff, right?"

"Well, that wasn' me." Jayjay shrugged. "That was Kam."

Roy cocked his head to the side, unsure of what to make of the situation presented before him. Jason didn't make grammar mistakes like this usually, and he was definitely not as open as his partner was presenting himself right now. And who the hell was Kam?

"Kam?" He prompted.

Suddenly, Jayjay became a bit more closed off. "Oh, I wasn' supposed to say tha'. Sorry," he bit his lip and turned away.

"Why not?"

"Because Jason would get mad."

"But you are Jason." He said this slowly. Had he gotten hit over the head or something? Concussion?

He giggled a bit. "No, I'm not." His attention went back towards the puppy in his arms. 

Jayjay was petting him, but the puppy didn't seem to be interacting much more. He was just sort of laying there, eyes closed. Sparky was a lot like that when he was young, so maybe Jayjay just had to give him some more time?

Roy narrowed his eyes. "Okay..." He paused. "I don't get it."

"Call Dami." Jayjay frowned. "He knows more 'bout it than me."

"Damian?" His eyes flicked over to his cell phone, which was charging next to their coffee maker. "He's going to rip my head off if I call him at this hour."

That took the frown off of his face, replacing it with a large smile and sharp giggles. "He would. Dami doesn' like being woken."

"Can you try to explain what's going on?"

Jayjay made a face, eyes focused on the puppy. "His name is Sparky Jr."

"Jason?" He paused. "Or...not Jason?"

"I'm explainin'!" He cried out. "Kam got Sparky Jr."

Roy shook his head. "No, no, no. I meant about you being...not Jason?"

"Oh," he paused. "I still think Dami'd do it better."

"Can you try to help me understand?"

Jayjay swallowed. "Jason doesn' like talkin' 'bout it. He's...Kam said he's insecure."

"About what?"

"Us." He blinked. "In the same head. Me, Kam, Jason, and the res'. We've been here for ages." Jayjay paused. "But they're all older than me."

Roy's face didn't betray what he was feeling, but internally, he was both freaking out and confused. This not Jason was clearly a much younger person than Jason, so it was difficult to really get a good understanding of what he was trying to say. Plus, he didn't have the right qualifications to figure it out alone anyway.

"And what should I call you?" He asked.

"They call me Jayjay."

There was a pause.

"Look," Roy spoke up a few minutes later. "I'll call Damian at a reasonable hour, okay? I don't quite understand what you're trying to say, but I'll figure it out."

Jayjay brightened up. "Get him over here. Sparky Jr. needs to see him."


	2. Damian Wayne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy goes to get Damian

Roy sighed heavily as he turned in to the path that led towards Wayne Manor. He had been riding his bike, so he hoped that Damian wouldn't mind riding with him. He would assume that the youngest Wayne would. Whatever was going on clearly involved the boy somehow, and Jayjay seemed to trust that Damian would come see him (and, most importantly, Sparky Jr.). Roy shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, before kicking the stand down.

The front door had never been imposing to him before, but it seemed leagues taller than it used to. And more intimidating. He didn't like that there was clearly such a large, important secret surrounding his boyfriend that he had no clue about. If Damian knew about it, did the rest of the Bats? Why had Jason never thought it necessary to talk to him about this before? And, most importantly, what was the "this" that was going on?

It was Alfred who answered the door as usual. His distress must have been showing on his face because he saw Alfred's face line with worry. "Come in, Mister Harper." They took a few more steps. "Are you here for Master Richard?"

Roy shook his head. "Damian, actually. Jay...son told me that he had some information I need."

The butler was obviously surprised, but he said nothing of it. "Very well. I will call for him." He smiled at Roy before leaving to go find his youngest grandson.

He bounced his leg while sitting on the couch. What could have been going on behind his back? Why had his partner, teammate, and most importantly, boyfriend have been keeping so clearly important from him? Did Jason not trust him? They had spent a long time building and rebuilding the trust they had had in each other, and Roy liked to think that Jason trusted him more than anyone else. Why was it, then, that Damian knew about this and Roy did not? He tried not to feel envious of the boy, but it was difficult. Jason meant so much to him. He and Lian were the two most important people in his life.

Roy didn't notice Damian's presence until the younger boy cleared his throat abruptly.

He whirled around to face him. "Damian."

"Harper," he inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Why have you sent for me?"

"I was told that you have the information I need." Roy responded immediately. "There's something going on with Jason. Well, not Jason? He said he wasn't Jason."

He watched Damian's eyes widened dramatically. The kid looked behind him and to each side of him, scanning to see if there were others listening in, but regardless, they would be quiet. Sometimes, it was though the very walls had ears.

"And, I take it, he gave you a name?" He pressured. "Which name did he give you?"

"Jayjay." He answered. "But he said that he was Kam earlier....Damian, I just want to know what the hell is going on. He said that you would explain it better."

The boy looked around the room. "And where is he?"

"Back at the safe house."

"With who?"

"...No one." He raised an eyebrow. "He's an adult."

"Does Jayjay act like an adult?" Damian approached him suddenly, hissing in his face. "Does he?"

Roy thought back to his encounter with the not-Jason. "He didn't act like one at all. He said he was younger than the other people...but that can't be right, right? He's an adult," he repeated.

"No, Jason is an adult. _Jayjay_ is not." He corrected. "And you just left a child all alone in a _safe house_ that has _many, many weapons_ in it."

The color slowly drained from his face as realization set in. Damian was right. Jayjay acted like a child, and he had basically said that he was one too. Roy didn't know quite what was going on, but he should have connected the dots a bit more. Jason had an adult body, but Jayjay, who was somehow in his head, was not an adult. He wouldn't leave Lian alone anywhere, let alone in their safe house, so why did he leave Jayjay.

"Imbecile." Damian turned towards the exit, only stopping when he realized that the archer was not following him. "Are you coming?"

Roy shook himself out of his guilty stupor. Right, he had to fix this, had to hope that Jayjay hadn't gotten into anything by the time he got back. With any luck, he would still be as asleep as he was when Roy left for Wayne Manor that morning.

"What's going on?" He furrowed his brow.

"I'll explain later." The smaller boy dashed off in front of him again.

By the time he caught up with Damian, he was whispering furiously to Alfred, probably informing the man of his imminent departure. 

"I will tell Master Bruce not to worry. When will you be returning?"

"I am uncertain." He eyed Roy accusingly, and he felt another hot wave of shame flood over him. "I will call once I know."

* * *

When Jayjay woke that morning, he was excited. He wasn't too sure when he had fallen asleep the night before. Sparky Jr. had taken up basically all of his attention, and he was glad to be able to shower him with love. He had tried to do the same with Sparky, but Sparky hadn't been around too long. Jayjay still wasn't quite sure what had happened to him. It hadn't been his turn at the time, and no one would tell him what had happened.

He woke up alone, in an unfamiliar bed and an unfamiliar place. The nice man, Roy, was no where to be seen. Had he gone? Left him all by himself? He had known that his biological father hadn't been around a lot, but Roy had seemed so much _nicer_ than he did. So why were they doing the same thing? Was it just...he himself that was the problem? Was it because he was annoying?

Jayjay didn't think he was annoying, but other people seemed to think that sometimes. It wasn't his fault though, was it? People always expected him to act...different, and then, they'd be disappointed when he would just be Jayjay. Whenever he came out, most people expected him to act...older, more mature. He didn't like that very much.

But where had Roy gone? He wandered around the safe house, stopping to hold his new puppy to him. Sparky Jr.'s eyes hadn't opened yet, and they probably would not for some time. Regardless, Jayjay didn't want to be alone in exploring the new place. Well, he knew it wasn't _new_ , but it was always Jason or Kam who were out around here, not Jayjay.

He hummed slightly as he walked into the kitchen. Would Roy let him eat food? He was hungry, but he didn't want to make the older man mad at him. In the past, he always had to wait until he had permission from his dad to have food. There hadn't been a whole lot of money around at the time (or ever), so their pantry was...limited. His parents had been in charge of rationing out what they had to be sure that they would have _something_ when times were tough, but Jayjay still remembered the times when their kitchen was completely barren.

And when it _wasn't_ , he still wasn't always allowed to eat anything. Sometimes, it was used as a form of punishment when he did something wrong, but others, Jayjay had no idea why he wasn't allowed to have food. It showed in how he had been small for his age for years and years. Having food withheld from him still remained very confusing for him. Would he be allowed to eat here? Even on the streets, where food hadn't been exactly plentiful, he was still hesitant on eating what he had. He'd hoard it when it was available to him, but sometimes, he just...wouldn't eat it. It was something that, at this point, was very much ingrained in him.

....But he was hungry.

Roy wasn't around though, so there was no one he could go to to ask permission. He pet Sparky Jr. gently, humming a nonsense tune to himself and trying to ignore the growing pains in his stomach. Where did Roy go? Would he come back soon? Would he _ever_ come back?

Of course, he'd come back.

Would he? What if he didn't? What if Jayjay was left here all alone forever?

He needed to find _something_ to pass the time, to distract him. Placing Sparky Jr. in a nearby blanket nest with only a whine from the pup, his eyes flicked around the room curiously. There were a bunch of knives on a nearby table, but Jayjay knew well enough not to touch them. Knives were pointy, and pointy _hurt_. He didn't like it when he hurt. There were a couple of markers on top of a stack of paper a few feet away from him, and he knew markers! Markers were fun.

Jayjay stole a few of them off the table and wandered back over to his puppy. Sparky Jr. had turned over, but he had not done much else. Jayjay couldn't wait until his puppy was a bit older, so he would open his eyes and be able to _play._ He knew that Kam had gotten a lot of toys for the puppy, and Jayjay couldn't help but wonder which ones the chocolate lab would like the best. He hoped it was one with a squeaker in it. Jayjay always got just as much enjoyment as the puppy when the toys would squeak.

He uncapped the pen, sitting down next to the wall. He didn't really have a _vision_ for his artwork, but it would be beautiful nonetheless. The swirls turned into squiggles which turned into zig-zags on the lower half of the wall. He used to do this _all the time_ on the streets although he'd normally only have access to things like chalk. Whenever he would move locations from one alley to another, he would always slowly cover the brick walls with the colorful pieces of chalk. It wasn't much, but it always made him happier. But sometimes, it would rain, and all the colors would bleed to the ground. That did _not_ make him happy. He was always sad to see his scribbles fade away.

Jayjay moved to his knees, drawing a bright sun with a smiley face in it on top of his squiggly mess. It was _beautiful._ It was _art._ He loved all the bright colors and the fun lines and _everything._

He felt Kam in the back of his head, but he did not retreat towards him. It was _his_ turn, so no, they were not switching. Kam didn't really care that much though; Jayjay could tell that much. It wasn't Kam's responsibility or anything to take over at that time. The other alter hadn't retreated so far back yet; he was still fairly close to the surface as he had been the night before. There would be no forced switching at least. Kam wasn't going to make him stop coloring.

Roy should've known better than to leave him unattended in Kam's opinion.

Jayjay jumped when he heard the front door slam open and two sets of feet walking inside. Was Roy back? Who did he bring with him? Was it Dami? He had said he was going to bring Dami to see him and Sparky Jr. He hoped it was Dami; he liked Dami. Dami was nice to him and everything.

"Jayjay?"

It was Dami! He'd know that voice from anywhere. Jayjay whirled around, dropping the markers he had been using on the floor and grinning.

Damian eyed the absolute _masterpiece_ on the wall in front of him and snorted a bit. Based off of Roy's surprised expression, he had learned his lesson. Thankfully, Jayjay hadn't gotten into anything _too_ bad while Roy had been gone; Damian wouldn't have been so forgiving otherwise.

"You came back!" Jayjay's eyes became round when he saw the red haired man, and he stared doefully up at him from where he was sitting.

Roy shook himself and turned away from the scribbles on the wall. "Yes...I'll always come back."

"Why'd you leave me?" He furrowed his brow and frowned.

"I went to go get Damian," he paused. "But I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm sorry, Jayjay."

Damian scowled at the archer. "I think this idiot has learned not to make the same mistake again. Otherwise, there will be consequences."

Jayjay laughed, glad that they had both come back to him. "Dami! Kam got this puppy on patrol last night." He walked on his knees back to the blanket nest and picked up the small animal.

The chocolate lab squirmed in his arms a bit, trying to move closer to the heat source that was his body. Jayjay hugged him close to his chest while simultaneously trying to present him to his brother.

"What is his name?"

"Sparky Jr!"

"...Creative." Damian approached the pup. "He is very young. You must be very careful with him."

Jayjay nodded his head. "I am very careful."

"Don't hold him too tight. You are very strong."

"I know." He whined slightly.

Roy sat on the couch, ignoring the mess that had become of the wall, and stared at the two of them for a few seconds. Eventually, he cleared his throat. "Um...I'm still confused."

Damian glared at him, a look promising that he would get stabbed later. "I see." His hand lingered on the puppy's head. "What do you wish to know?"

"...what's going on? Come on, Damian."

His face tightened, and he moved to sit across from the archer. "When Jason came to the League, he spent a lot of time around Mother and I, and Mother started to notice some odd behaviors he had, especially after the Pit. She got him to see the most skilled cognitive physician she could find."

"And there was something wrong with him?"

"I wouldn't say _wrong-_ " Jayjay protested, scrunching his face at Roy.

"Not wrong," Damian was quick to reassure him. "Just different."

Roy nodded his head, following along with his reasoning. So Jason had gotten some sort of diagnosis from the doctor? Why hadn't he known about it? What was it?

"It's called Dissociative Identity Disorder." He explained slowly as if he was talking to an idiot. "When he was young, his personality did not meld together like people's normally do. It remained separated from one another, giving rise to multiple alters in his head."

"I thought that was Multiple Personality Disorder?"

Damian shook his head. "That's an out-of-date term, but it is referring to the same thing."

"Oh," he fell quiet, watching Jayjay once again.

He had stopped paying attention to the conversation, probably having lost any interest, but at least now the chocolate lab puppy was getting more attention now. Roy didn't blame him for not listening. Jayjay already knew this information.

"Jayjay and Kam are two of these alters I was talking about." He continued. "There are others though. You just haven't met them yet."

Roy looked down at his hands. "Why didn't I know about this? Doesn't Jason trust me?"

"Yes," Jayjay responded without lifting his eyes up. 

_Oh, so he had been listening in._

Damian agreed. "Jason trusts you more than he trusts himself."

"Then, why didn't he _tell_ me?"

"He's very...insecure about how people see him. I've noticed that there is quite a lot of stigma around mental health issues around here, and he didn't want to risk ostracism." He explained flatly.

Roy shook his head. "I would never-"

"He probably knows you wouldn't," he interrupted. "But that doesn't matter. He is still afraid."

The archer sighed. "I understand."

"I could...retreat if you want." Jayjay blinked up at him. "We could switch."

"Only if you want to," Roy responded. "I'm not going to force you to do anything."

The younger alter seemed to think this over for a few seconds. "I know. I think he'd like to see you though." The bouncing of Jayjay's leg slowly started to cease.

"Have I spoken to every alter?" Roy turned to the two of them again. "Or is Jason normally in control?"

"Normally, it's Jason or Karim." Damian replied before pausing and adding. "Karim is Kam."

He nodded in understanding, staring at his partner once more. His body language was definitely changing, becoming much different than Jayjay's and more like what he would attribute to Jason. The antihero crossed his arms over his chest, closing off his body language, and a scowl set over his face.

Jason considered the two of them for a few moments before turning to the wall art. His eyes widened. "What the fuck?"

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated!
> 
> Again, I have done quite a lot of research from the Internet and my friends with DID, so a lot of what is written is based off of their experiences. Regardless, I know that not everyone experiences this in the same manner, and I don't want to offend anyone. Thus, if you have a recommendation or any advice, I would be happy to hear it. :)


End file.
